IRS SEIZES LOTS OF `COUNTRY' TO PAY OFF SINGER'S DEBTS

The Internal Revenue Service has seized county-western singer Willie Nelson's property in six states to satisfy $6.5 million in claims, an IRS spokeswoman said in Austin, Texas.

The fashionable Pedernales Country Club and recording studio, which Nelson calls home, was closed at least temporarily in the Friday seizures, said IRS spokeswoman Sally Sassen.The seizures came less than two months after the agency slapped tax liens of $16.7 million against Nelson's private property. Nelson's manager and his attorneys did not immediately return phone calls Saturday seeking comment.

"We have seized everything there and (the country club and recording studio) will not be in operation," Sassen said.